Typewriting machine



June 27, 1939. w. A. DOBSON 2,163,941

TYPEWRITING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 23, 1936 INVENTOR W/LA/AM A. DOBSO/V BY Ki; I

fl ATToRNEY 7 Patented June 27, 1939 PATENT OFFICE 2,163,941 TYPEWRITING MACHINE William A. Dobson, Wethersfield, Conn., assignor to Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Original application October 23, 1936, Serial No. 107,175. Divided and this application October 21, 1938, Serial No. 236,224

3 Claims.

This invention relates totypewriting machines and more particularly to the type action and key lever assemblies thereof.

The general object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive but reliably operative connection between cooperating parts of a typewriter mechanism, as for example, a link and lever connection, by which to facilitate installation and assembly of the related. parts, and periil mit convenient separation of the connection to facilitate replacement or repair of the parts.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear. I n This application is a division of my co-pend- M lng application, Serial No. 107,175, filed October in the accompanying drawing: Figure l is a sectional view of a typewriting machine taken on a central fore and aft plane through the machine, showing a complete central type action, and a number of typical keylevers only for several of the outer type actions. Figures 2 and 3 are fragmentary perspective views of the key-lever and link connections,

the mentioned parts being shown in the respective views, in assembled and separated condition, and

Figure 4.- is a fragmentary rear elevation of the separable connection shown in Figures 2 so and 3.

in the present embodiment oi the invention illustrated in the drawing, an improved frontstrilre noiseless typewriter is shown by way of example only, it being apparent as the specifiaa cation proceeds that the improvements herein set forth are adaptable to type actions of vari ous designs as well as other typewriter mecha-= nisms. A brief description of the type action iilustrated will sufiice to set forth the nature 4p and uses of the improvements therein.

Type-bar 6, one of an arcuate array of typeioars pivoted on an arcuate pivot-rod l, is arranged to swing rearwardly to strike a platen it in typing, being actuated by a type action as mechanism by depressing akey-lever 9 pivoted at it. The type action may include a primary toggle it operated by an actuating lever i2 i'ulorumed on an arcuate pivot rod l3 disposed in a front segment M, the latter having a comb 5p structure for mounting the other actuating levers of the type action system, not shown, in an arouate array substantially corresponding to the array of the type-bars 6. The primary toggle it includes an arm i5 of the actuating lever l2 flexibly connected at I6 to a second toggle arm H, the latter being flexibly connected to the type-bar 6 adjacent the type-head thereof.

The'type action may also include a secondary or auxiliary toggle 20 having an arm 2i pivoted at 22 on a lower segment 23 which also carries the pivots 1 of the type-bars ii, this segment having at its forward and rear portions, comb slots for guiding the type-bars 6 and the toggle arms 2i, respectively. Arm 2! is flexibly connected at 24 to a flyweight 25, a portion iii of which constitutes another arm of the secondary toggle 20. The flyweight 25 is pivotally carried at 21! on the actuating lever i5, whereby the secondary toggles II and 20, causing the arms of the primary toggle H. The type action is manually actuated by the key-lever 9, through a link 3W articulated at its upper end to a forward extension or arm M of the actuating lever it, link being flexibly connected at '32 to the key-lever 9. It will be seen that upon actuation of keylever 9, link 30 transmits the actuating power to the type action, at the arm 3i of the actuating lever i2 which sets in motion the respective toggles ii and 2t, causing the arms of the primary toggle i I to move to a substantially straight condition as the type-head of the type-bar t approaches the platen 8. During this action, the secondary toggle causes the fiyweight 25 to swing in an orbit defined by the co-action of the secondary toggle'arms 2 i, 26, the momentum of the fiyweight 2t bringing the type-head into contact with theplaten in a squeeze action. It will be seen from this that, during the latter part of the type-bar stroke, the type-bar ii is actuated primarily by the momentum of the flyweight 25, in that the key-lever t is stopped before the type-bar ti reaches its printing posi- .tion. The key-lever 9 is movable between an upper stop it and, a lower stop 35, the latter defining the limit to which the key-lever may be depressed.

As the type action operates under momentum of the flyweight 25 after key-lever s engages the lower stop 35, the link 3% continues to travel downwardly in an idle motion which is accommodated preferably at the connection 32 between link 30 and key-lever 9. The link 3i] may be a wire formed at its lower end in a crook 36 to provide a pivot pin 31 which is journaled for pivotal and sliding movement, in an elongate. slot 38 in the key-lever 9. While the type action is being manually actuated, that is, during the initial part of the type-bar stroke, the pivot-pin 37! is at the upper end of slot 38, and as the type action moves by momentum, the pin 31 rides along slot 38 to accommodate the idle movement of link 30. The end portion 40 of the crook 36 is in a plane parallel with link 30 but at an angle with the axis of the link so as to overlie the solid portion of key-lever 9 to assure smooth action and prevent axial dislodgment of the pin 31 from the slot 38.

In readiness for assembly into the typewriter, link 30 is completely formed, that is, same has the crook 36 formed thereon which includes the lateral pin 31 and the end portion 39. The slot 38 is disposed in a suitable portion of the keylever 9 so that one wall 40 of the slot is formed by a marginal portion of the key-lever, the slot being elongated in a direction corresponding generally to the idle movement of the link 34. To permit insertion of pin 31 into the slot, the wall 40 is separated on a line 4|, thus forming a projecting tongue 42 which normally is aligned with the other portion 43 of the wall 40. By bending the tongue 42 outwardly, or laterally of the key-lever 9, as shown in Figure 3, an entrance for the pin 31 into the slot 38 is provided, the tongue being bent back to normal form after the pin is within the slot.

From the foregoing description of the type action arrangement, it will be seen that the arms ll of the actuating levers l2 are disposed generally in an arcuate array, from which it will be seen that the links 30,'being connected to corresponding arms 3| of the type action system, hang therefrom in a manner so that the lower end of each link, that is, the pivot pin 31, is near the slot 38 of the corresponding keylever 9. It is to be noted that certain of the key-levers 9, particularly those toward the extreme sides of the type action system have their portions which carry the slots 38, extending inwardly so that the links, depending in an armate array, are near the slots. Preparatory to connecting each link to its key-lever, the tongue 42 is bent outwardly and the pivot pin 31 of each link is inserted into its slot 38, starting with the outermost type action and progressing across the machine or beginning at the middle type action and working outwardly in each direction therefrom. When all of the connections 32 are thus completed, it is a simple matter to restore each of the tongues 42 to normal form and thereby close the entrance of the slot, this opera tion being easily accomplished as by a pair of pliers applied to the wall 4| of each slot. The arrangement of the crock end portion 40 to project away from the slot wall 4|, leaves the tongue 42 unencumbered, and same may be fully gripped by pliers.

Although in the present embodiment, the improved pin and slot connection is set forth as being advantageous in the organization of a front-strike noiseless type action, it will be apparent that same may be used with equal advantage with other partsor mechanisms of a typewriter wherein a pin and slot device may serve as a separable connection between two cooperative parts.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a type-action for typewriters, in combination, a lever and a connecting link, said lever having an elongate slot, said link having a crook slidably engaging said slot, one wall of the slot being formed by a marginal portion of the lever, said wall having a line of separation forming a tongue projecting alongside the slot and bendable to open or close the slot for removal-of the link-crook therefrom.

2. In a type-action for typewriters, in combination, a key-lever and a connecting link, said key-lever having a slot elongated in the direction of operative motion of the link, said link having a crook slidably engaging said slot, one wall of said slot being formed by a marginal portion of the key-lever, said wall having a line of separation adjacent one end of the slot, forming an elongate tongue and a member abutting the free end of said tongue, said tongue being bendable laterally to open the slot for removal or admission of the link-crook.

3. In a type-action for typewriters, in combination, a key-lever and a connecting link, said key-lever having a slot elongated in the direction of operative motion of the link, said link having a crook slidably engaging said slot, one wall of said slot being formed by a marginal portion of the key-lever, said wall having a line of separation adjacent one end of the slot, forming an elongate tongue and a member abutting the free end of said tongue, said tongue being bendable laterally to open the slot for removal or admission of the link-crook, the free end of said crook overlying the body of said key-lever opposite the said wall.

WILLIAM A. DOBSON. 

